Transportation

Introduction

This guide is a slightly edited version of
pages we created for out-of-town guests to our
wedding on August 5, 2006. Thus, some of the information may be dated.

Airports

Chicago has two airports:
O'Hare and
Midway.
Midway is less chaotic and easier to
get to than O'Hare, and the discount airlines (e.g. Southwest)
fly into Midway.
O'Hare's saving virtue is the large
number of flights that service it.

Airport Ground Transportation

O'Hare: The Blue Line runs from O'Hare to Downtown in
around 45 minutes.

Midway: The Orange Line runs from Midway to Downtown in
around 30-35 minutes.

Driving a car into Downtown:

O'Hare: Take I-290 East then I-90/94 East into Downtown.
25-30 minutes with no traffic, 1-1.5 hours with traffic.

Midway: Take Cicero North until you hit I-55, then go East on
I-55 until you hit I-90/94. Head West on I-90/94 into
Downtown.
20-25 minutes with no traffic, 45 minutes with traffic.

Taxis: Taxis are moderately
expensive (around $45 from O'Hare to the Loop); we've had good
experience with
Yellow Cab
(312-TAXICAB).
More on taxis and other hired vehicles can be found at
World Airport Codes
(note there's some information there on Midway too, not just O'Hare).

Touring Chicago

Car

Car or no car?:
Chicago, unlike New York, is drivable, though there is almost always
congestion on I-90/94, particularly as you near Downtown.
However, Chicago, unlike Los Angeles, does not require you to
drive. Public transit is good.

Layout:
The freeways in Chicago extend radially outward
from Downtown at the Lake. Locals are mostly arranged north/south.
Generally, north/south streets are named,
east/west streets in the north side are named,
and east/west streets in the south side are numbered.

Traffic:
Generally, if you can avoid the freeways you'll
do better. Lake Shore Dr. is a wide N/S arterial that has
few lights, less traffic than the freeways, and is an
amazingly scenic drive along Lake Michigan. If you're not
too far from the lake, it's the quickest
way to get from Downtown to the north side (where North Park
University is) as well as the south side (where University of
Chicago is).

Parking:
Downtown parking is expensive and there's little street parking.
If you're coming to Downtown on a weekday, leave the car at home.
On a weekend, same thing, though on a Sunday evening there's quite
a bit of street parking Downtown.

Street parking throughout the city is hit or miss.
Near high traffic areas like Wrigley Field, you won't find much.
Watch meter times (they often go past the end of the workday)
and tow zones.

Public Transit

Chicago's public transportation system is excellent.
Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)
buses and subway/elevated trains are the options in the city, and
the Metra Rail trains connect
the suburbs with the city. The Regional Transit Authority (RTA)
provides a public transit
trip planner you can use to figure out how to get from anywhere
to anywhere in the area.

Disclaimer:
Although we believe the information on this page was accurate
when we did our research (mostly in Spring 2006), we do not
guarantee its accuracy. And changes occur
all the time. Please double-check the information as needed.